Resting...Kind of

My friend Suzanne insisted we watch Mad Men.  She said I would find the 1960's gender roles portrayed in the show fascinating.  We viewed Season 1 in September and took a hiatus for the fall.  The show now keeps me up as I squeeze one more episode in each night.  Fighting colds, we spent the afternoon in the Ad room of Sterling Cooper Draper Price.  I frequently feel we need to cram each moment with Gothic cathedrals, Christmas markets, and 10th century castles.  I forget we still have to grocery shop, clean the house, pack school lunches, and rest when we are sick.

Despite fighting colds, we celebrated Owen's birthday Friday evening.  We invited five friends from school - though the number increased 60% since parents requested siblings join.  I hoped the parents would leave, but several insisted on "helping."  I planned two hours worth of activities that we completed in the first thirty minutes.  I learned hot potato becomes a very uncomfortable game when no one wants to leave the circle.  I comforted one child for 10 minutes.  We decided no one would lose in freeze dance.   We made snowmen, ate pizza, and decorated cupcakes though I lost the birthday candles.  Owen failed to notice when we skipped the firey ritual.  I tried not to feel judged by the mommies club.

We pursued one activity today - getting a Christmas Tree.  Unlike at home, where Christmas tree stands occupy every parking lot, we only found one stand close to our place.  We pulled a tree and Charlie Brown's Christmas immediately came to mind.  I think 5 branches attach to the tree's top half though the needles did not fall to the ground.  We looked for the electric saw to cut the end off and the German seller pointed us inside.  There, the customer service woman gave Dave a hand saw.  The kids watched fascinated with the effort required to cut through the think trunk.  When he finished, Emily exclaimed, "Daddy you are awesome."